In terms of breathable, lightweight rain jackets, it’s hard to get more advanced than those made from Gore-Tex Active Shakedry material. By removing the outer face fabric, Gore-Tex was able to create their lightest and most breathable material to date. The only problem? The outer PTFE layer is very hard to color. That means all of the Shakedry jackets have been black or black.
However, the waterproof wizards at Gore have added a few new tricks to the Shakedry line. Now, the outer layer can be made in shades of blue as well as less black (grey). While it adds options for consumers, blue and grey still don’t do much for visibility, so Gore is adding a few model with Gore-Tex Active panels on the arms with high viz colors. Figuring that riders will trade a bit of breathability at their wrists for improved visibility, the resulting color combinations drastically increases the sku count for the Shakedry lineup.
The 2 layer Shakedry technology will still be available in the 1985 as well which is an homage to the original Gore-Tex Giro jacket from 1985, above, left. Worn by the Superconfex team which later became Rabobank in the 1987 Tour de France, the modern 1985 gives a nod to the original with orange details internally. Fitting a bit looser than the Gore-Tex Active jacket, in total there are four options between men and women.
And while we weren’t allowed to take any photos, we are allowed to say that Gore-Tex has a pretty exciting advancement in waterproof material on the way. Coming soon will be a stretchy, no, extremely stretchy version of their waterproof membrane which will maintain the garment’s resistance to moisture but drastically aid in making tight fitting yet comfortable waterproof gear. If you’ve never liked the fit of your rain jacket because it’s either too tight or billowing in the wind, relief is on the way.
